title: Riluzole does not affect hippocampal synaptic plasticity and spatial memory, which are impaired by diazepam in rats.
abstract: We have previously demonstrated that riluzole has anxiolytic-like effects in rats, without affecting spontaneous alternation performance in the Y-maze test. However, the effects of riluzole on hippocampal synaptic plasticity were still unclear. In this study, we showed that bath application of riluzole did not impair long-term potentiation and long-term depression, whereas a benzodiazepine anxiolytic, diazepam, significantly impaired them. Furthermore, the acquisition of spatial memory in the Morris water maze test was impaired in diazepam-treated but not riluzole-treated rats. We thus provide further evidence for the potential usefulness of riluzole as an anxiolytic that does not cause amnesia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki-Hamada
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sacai
authors.forename: Azusa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Akiyoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inagaki
authors.forename: Mitsuhiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Jun-Ichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oka
mesh_terms: D000647:Amnesia / Q000139:chemically induced; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D019782:Riluzole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019782:Riluzole; D003975:Diazepam